Covid cases in meatpacking counties were 10 times those in other rural counties During the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, rural meatpacking counties had infection rates 10 times higher than rates in other rural counties, said the USDA on Thursday. And despite improvements, the Covid-19 rate in the 49… Continue reading
Ag and ethanol groups ask Biden for help at home and overseas The ethanol industry, which says it has lost $3.8 billion in sales since March, is looking to the Biden administration for relief at the same time that farm groups want the new president to resolve the trade war… Continue reading
Monarch butterflies are in peril but won’t go on U.S. endangered list The orange-and-black monarch butterfly, known for its 3,000-mile migration across North America and its plunging population, meets the criteria for listing as a threatened or endangered species, said the Interior Department on Tuesday. But it will be listed… Continue reading
(AG Insider) For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration approved for food and human therapeutics on Monday a genomic alteration in domestic pigs that prevents them from producing a sugar that can cause allergic reactions in some people. “A tremendous milestone for scientific innovation,” said FDA commissioner Stephen… Continue reading
FDA approves genetically modified pig for food and medical use For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration approved for food and human therapeutics on Monday a genomic alteration in domestic pigs that prevents them from producing a sugar that can cause allergic reactions in some people. Meyer… Continue reading
Biden vows to pay farmers to plant cover crops and put land in conservation The government will help farmers mitigate climate change by paying them to “put their land in conservation” and plant cover crops, said President-elect Biden, providing some details on his campaign call to offset greenhouse gas emissions… Continue reading
New fair play rule hurts livestock producers, say ag groups One of the largest U.S. farm groups called for the incoming Biden administration to rescind a new fair play rule for livestock marketing, unveiled by the Agriculture Department on Thursday, that it sees as a setback for family farmers in… Continue reading
Farm groups cheer, progressives lament return of Vilsack to USDA President-elect Joe Biden’s selection of Tom Vilsack as agriculture secretary angered farm and food activists who feuded with Vilsack during the Obama years and had hoped for a progressive agenda under Biden. The largest U.S. farm groups welcomed Vilsack on… Continue reading
(AG Insider) Tom Vilsack could be on the verge of competing with fellow Iowan, “Tama Jim” Wilson, for the record of longest-serving cabinet secretary in U.S. history. But as soon as Vilsack was identified on Monday as the leading contender for agriculture secretary in the Biden administration, farm and… Continue reading
Biden chooses moderate Vilsack to return as agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack, agriculture secretary throughout the Obama years, is President-elect Biden’s choice to lead the USDA as farmers seek to recover from a trade war with China and the Covid-19 pandemic. A former governor of Iowa, Vilsack was a top backer… Continue reading
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